The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Staff Representative Group (CAES SRG) was formed in the early
1980s while Dr. William P. Flatt was Dean of the UGA College of Agriculture. Dean Flatt was supportive of our
efforts to be a voice for the staff members of our College. Our present dean, Dr. Gale A. Buchanan, is very supportive
as well and encourages supervisors to grant staff the time to attend scheduled SRG meetings. Dean Buchanan meets with
us on an annual basis. He is aware of the symbiotic relationship of our College faculty and staff with respect to research,
Extension and teaching.
The CAES SRG has 16 members presently and is statewide in composition. The diversity of Georgia agriculture and the
impact of agriculture upon our state necessitate the UGA-CAES presence in 158 of Georgia's 159 counties. This UGA-CAES
presence equates to UGA faculty and staff who are involved in the CAES Cooperative Extension Service, agricultural
research and teaching at the college and university level.
The mission of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is to seek,
verify and apply knowledge related to agriculture and the environment, and to disseminate this knowledge
through student education and public outreach programs. To accomplish that mission, approximately 1,300
classified employees (staff) are at present working statewide in many capacities within the College
disciplines of research, Cooperative Extension, and resident instruction. The CAES Staff Representative
Group members are elected to serve a three-year term from the CAES Athens campus, 4-H camps, Griffin
and Coastal Plain Experiment Stations, Cooperative Extension Service district and county offices,
Rural Development Center (CES) and the branch agricultural research stations.
The CAES SRG meets bi-monthly. Meetings are held throughout the state to allow better access to the
members located outside the Athens campus. Present SRG composition of off-campus members is now greater
than the Athens campus membership. We have enjoyed SRG meetings at the Mountain Branch Experiment
Station (Blairsville), Rock Eagle 4-H Center (Eatonton), Coastal Plain Experiment Station (Tifton),
Georgia Experiment Station (Griffin), Northwest Georgia Branch Experiment Station (Calhoun),
Haralson County Chamber of Commerce (Waco), West District Extension (Fort Valley), 4-H Center on Tybee
Island, the Ronald McDonald House in Macon, Burke County Extension (Waynesboro), and, on the Athens campus,
Conner Hall, Animal and Dairy Science Department, Soils Test Laboratory, and UGA Botanical Gardens.
These meeting places have given SRG an opportunity to travel, meet fellow staff at their respective
locations, and to observe the CAES research and other programs conducted on site. The meeting venue r
otation has given us a better appreciation for our mission and the involvement by CAES staff to facilitate that mission.
Our October 2004 meeting was held at Jekyll
Island. The group was granted permission by Dean Buchanan
to have an overnight trip to the island. Several of the group
met for a delicious seafood dinner and an informal get-together
the night before the meeting. A few "early risers" enjoyed
a breathtaking view of the sunrise over the ocean. The meeting
was held at the Days Inn conference room and continued with
a tour of the Jekyll Island 4-H Center. Melanie Melancon
Biersmith, Educational Program Specialist, served as our
guide. Danis Brooks, SRG Representative of the 4-H centers,
arranged and hosted the event.
Several members of the SRG have been appointed by Dean Buchanan to serve on vital committees for the College.
Some of these were search committees for various administrative positions and the committee for the Strategic
Planning task force and subcommittees for the Strategic Planning modeling. The plan will be in effect for the
college through the year 2010.
The CAES SRG is family in the sense that we enjoy the company of our fellow representatives and get to know
each other quite well during our three-year tenure. SRG membership is a commitment, but it is also an opportunity
for growth, both personal and professional, as friendships are formed and a College network is established to
address concerns and offer solutions to diverse scenarios that often arise daily.
We as a UGA College SRG are proud of the role of our organization within the College and as members of the
greater UGA Staff Council community. The CAES SRG has, by virtue of the number of classified employees, six
representatives to the UGA Staff Council. Our organization has provided leadership at the UGA Staff Council
level and will continue to do so in a manner that will reflect the positive values and commitment evidenced
by our CAES SRG.
The CAES SRG has a link to the CAES web
page (http://admin.caes.uga.edu/committee/srg/).
The page for the group contains the bylaws, the membership list, and minutes
of the meetings. The group has a link to the UGA Staff Council
web page (http://uga.edu/ugasc/).
2004-2005 Representatives and the groups they represent are:
- Lucy Brooks - Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton Campus
- Paul Rose - Georgia Experiment Station, Griffin Campus
- Julian "Skeet" Ragan - South Region Branch Stations, Rural
Development Center and Tifton Campus
- Chad Westmoreland - North Region Branch Stations
- Brice Nelson - Dean's Support, ABO, Physical Plant, P&SD,
International Ag., Human Resources and Diversity
- Amy Savelle - Plant Pathology, Horticulture, Crop and Soil Sciences
- Pat Smith - Animal and Dairy Science, Ag. Leadership Education and Communication, and Bio Ag. Engineering
- Sandra McPeake - Food Science, Poultry Science, and Environmental Health Science
- Laura Alfonso - Ag. Economics, Entomology, ECT
- Samantha Treadwell - Northeast District County Operations
- Linda Blalock - Southeast District County Operations
- Roxanne Allen - Southwest District Operations
- Stephanie Benton - Southwest District County Operations
- Joan Boalch - Northwest District County Operations
- Danis Brooks - 4- H Centers
- Laura Daniel - Support Units, Service Labs, OIT, 4-H State Office
2004- 2005 Officers:
- Brice Nelson, Chair and UGA/ SC Rep
- Sandra McPeake, Vice Chair and UGA/ SC Rep
- Joan Boalch, Recording Secretary
- Lucy Brooks, Secretary and UGA/ SC Rep
- Pat Smith, Immediate Past Chair
- Paul Rose, UGA/ SC Rep
- Laura Alfonso, UGA/ SC Rep
- Danis Brooks, UGA/ SC Rep
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